Device for expanding and contracting chains.



F. HAMAOHEK. DEVICE FOR. EXPANDING A'ND GONTRAUl'lNG CHAINS.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.3, 1.910.

1,109,834, P n d ept. 8, 1914.

' expanding or contracting sprocket chains.

FRANK HAMACHEK, 0F. KEWAUNEE, WISCONSIN.

DEVICE FOR EXPANDING AND CONTRACTING CHAIN S.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK HAMAcHEK,

residing in- Kewaunee, in the county of.Ke-

waunee and State of WViscons-in, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Devices; for Expandingand Contracting Chains, of whichthe following is a-description, refer-. ence being had to theacccompanyin draw-; ings, which are a part of this speci 'cation..

This invention relates to improvements in devices for expanding orcontracting chains; and is more particularly adapted for-use in Intransmittin power bymeans of sprocket chains 0 the removable .link typeit is very difiicult to form a pluralityof chains, having an equalnumber of links, of exactly the samelength-due to the inequalities ofthe links. It has also been found that sprocket-chains which have been.in use a short time will stretch .or. wear sufiiciently at the numerousjoints to elongate the chain and the links will notfit the pitch line ofthe sprocket wheels and will have a tendency to climb-up on the teeththereof. The joints of-the chains thus stretched-will ofttims ride up onthe teeth of the sprocket wheels and be further stretched or perhapsbroken. When a chain is in this condition a chain tightner is of littlevalue as it cannot improve the fit with reference to the pitch line ofthe wheel and it also puts the chain under considerable strain whichaugments the wear of the joints-and. causes further stretching. A chainthus worn is of sub-' stantially the same strength and its life may begreatly prolonged by providing a means for closing the link joints tocompensate for the wear thereof.

It is one of the objects of this invention to overcome the beforementioned objectionable features by providing a device which is adaptedto expand or contract the links of the chain to the desired length sothat variations in length of axnumber of chalns may be corrected or thestretch of a chain may be taken up to any-extent desired.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device which isadapted to expand or contract the-links :of a. sprocket chain withoutremoving the chain from the mechanish of which it forms apart.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of sufficientpower, and

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed October a,

which is adapted to be operated manually, for compressing andequalizing-the port ons 1910. vSerial No. 584,964.

. .ofwlinks -which have become weakened through .unequalcontractionafter removal from the annealing oven.

Anfurther-object of. the inventionis to 'PIEOVIdG a'deviceofthe-character described with adjustable .means for limiting the.movement. ofnthe operating mechanism to provide. for contracting thelinks .to a pre- I determined length.

.Afurther objectzof the invention is to provide a-device of thecharacterdescribed with means whereby the device maybe op- -eratedby more thanone operator.

- With the. above and-other objects in view, the invention consists of.the device and its parts and combinations as set forthin the claims,and .all equivalents thereof. -.In the accompany drawin in. which thesame .referencecharacters in icate the'same parts in all of the views:Figure 1 is a side view of the device, parts brokenaway and .other partsin. section. to show interior construction; Fig. 2 is a sideview of thelower portion of the device shown inopen position and in engagement withthe links of a chain, the chainbeing shown in section, to illustrate.the manner of contracting the cou- .pling=hook 'totake up wear andslack in the chain; Fig. 3 is a similar view-of the device showing themanner of expanding or stretching the links; Fig. 4; is a. sectionaldetail view of the device taken on line H of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a sideviewof the lower portion of the device, slightly modified and. showingthemanner of compressing or shortendevice may be operated by more thanone operator.

. Referring to the drawing the numeral 10 indicates the jaws of a pairof lever arms 11, and 12 which. are-pivotally connectedtogether neartheir lower ends by a pivot pin 13. The lever .arm 12 above its jaw isformed of two thicknesses of metal forming an elongated slot 14therebetween and into which a portion of the arm 11 extends in order toprovide a double. bearing for the pivot 13. Bell crank levers 15 and 16connected to .the upper ends .ofthe. lever arms 11,=and.12.by pivot pins17 have their short arms connected to ether .by a pivot pin 18..Theshort arm 0 .the bell crank le- :.ver .16 is formedof twothicknesses of. metal spaced apart to accommodate therebetween thenpperend of the lower arm- 11 and the PatentedSept. s, 1914.

end of the short arm of the bell crank lever 15 to providestrongbearings for the pivot pins 17 and 18. The long arms of the bellcrank levers extend upwardly and are formed with handle portions 19 forconvenience in operating the device. The bell crank levers are soarranged and positioned that when in upright position the jaws are inopen position and when the operating handles are swung away from eachother the jaws are in open position. As both theinner and outer faces ofthe jaws areadapted to engage the chain links they are slightly curved,as indicated by the numerals 20 15 and 21, to better grasp the links andto prevent the links slipping out of the jaws while under strain. Anadjustable stop screw 22 threaded through a lug formed on one ofthe bellcrank levers is adapted to bear against a 2() stop lug 23 formed on'theother bell crank lever to limit the closing of the jaws.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 5 the jaws are spaced farther apartto extend over the ends of one link and a portion of another link.

The modified form of handle 24 shown in.

Fig. 6 provides for two or more operators grasping the handles when itis desired to exert more than the usual amount of power so-at the jaws.

The numeral 25 indicates portions of chain links to illustrate themanner of use I of the device.

In use if it is desired to contract a chain which has become worn at thecoupling joints the jaws of the device are inserted in the openings ofthe links and the coupling hook grasped between the jaws and contractedto closely surround the trans- 40 verse portion ofthe adjacentlink'positioned therein. The operation is repeated with all of 'thecouplin hooks or until the chain has been sufiiciently shortened. If itis founl necessary to extend or expand the chain the aws of the deviceare inserted in the openings of the links and the operating handles areswung downwardly to separate the jaws and lengthen the links. The jawsof the device are so proportioned that the same device is adapted to beused for both expanding or contracting the links of chains of certainsizes. When it is desired to shorten the links to a considerable extentthe modified device shown in Fig. 5 is used,

as the jaws are spaced a sufiicient distance apart to take in a completelink and the coupling hook of the adjacent link connected thereto. Thehandles are then swung toward each other to cause the jaws to compressthe metal of the link and shorten it to the desired extent.

The adjustable stop screw provides for shortening or contracting all ofthe links to the extent desired. The double handle shown in Fig. 6provides for exerting great pressure on the device to compressor expandlinks of larger size.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that a device is providedwhich is simple in construction and operation and is strong and durableand is adapted to compress the links of chains without removing saidchains from the machines of which they form a part.

It is to be understood'that this invention is not limited to anyspecific form or arrangement of parts except in so far as suchlimitations are specified in the claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A device for expanding or contracting chains, comprising a .lever armprovided with an elongated slotted portion, another lever arm having aportion extending into the slotted portion of the first mentioned arm, apivot pin extending through the overlapping portions ofboth lever arms,said lever arms provided with jaw portions having chain link engagingfaces, a bell crank lever having the apex of its angles extending intothe slot of the slotted lever and pivotally connected to said slottedlever, said bell crank lever consisting of along arm and a short arm,the last mentioned short arm being formed of two thicknesses of metalspaced apart and straddling the free end of the other short arm and'thefree end of the lever arm which extends into the slotted arm, a pivot'pinextending through the overlapping portions of the short arms, apivot in extending through the overlapping portlons of the twothicknesses of the bell crank lever and the lever arm extendingtherebetween, and an adjusting screw threaded to one of the bell cranklevers and positioned to engage the other bell crank lever to limit themovement of the jaw portions.

2. A device for expanding or contracting detachable chain links and forclosing the eyes thereof, comprising lever arms having 110 medialoverlapped portions pivoted together, each lever arm being provided witha jaw portion which extends in a plane on the same side of the pivotalconnection as the arm, the faces of said jaws being shaped to partlysurround the parts of the links engaged, and bell crank operating leverspivotally connected to the lever arms and having their inwardlyextending portions pivotally connected together, the pivotal connections2 of the levers with each other and with the lever arms positioned toapproximately aline with each other when the operating levers are inclosed position.

3. A device for expanding or contracting detachable chain links and forclosing the eyes thereof, comprising lever arms having medial overlappedportions. pivoted together, each lever arm being provided with a jawportion which extends in a-plane on the same side of the pivotalconnection as positioned to approximately aline with each 10 the arm,the inner and outer faces of said other when the operating levers are inclosed jaws beingof curved shape to partly surposition. Y round theparts of the links engaged, and In testimony whereof, I affix my sigbellcrank operating levers connected to the nature, in presence of twoWitnesses.

lever arms and having their inwardly ex- FRANK HAMACHEK. tendingportions pivotally connected to- Witnesses: gether, the pivotalconnections of the levers V. H. JANDA,

With each other and with the lever arms JOHN \VALECHA, Jr.

